Earlier this month, during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing, Scott Bessent, now President Trump’s Treasury secretary, evaded clear answers on proposed Medicaid cuts. Despite assurances that the President’s agenda would not reduce health care programs, Bessent, like many in Trump’s circle, refused to confirm that there would be no cuts to Medicaid. His evasion echoed the view voiced by others in the President’s close circle – that “Medicaid is not health care; it’s welfare.”
Nothing could be more wrong or more lacking in an understanding of the significance of the Medicaid program and what daily life is like for the nearly 80 million individuals and families who would have no access to regular health care, for themselves or their families, without the Medicaid program. For those of us who devote our energy to ensuring that health care access is not only for the wealthy or the well connected, it is hard to imagine how Medicaid could be overlooked in broader promises to protect health care. Yet, perhaps it’s not surprising that Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager, might fail to grasp the importance of a program that insures nearly one in five Americans.
For millions, Medicaid is far more than just a government program that can be scrapped to balance the books for billionaire tax cuts; it’s a critical health care lifeline.
Medicaid is the bridge between health and hardship for countless families. Imagine a single mother working two jobs to make ends meet, relying on Medicaid to ensure her children get their regular check-ups and vaccines. Picture an older man living alone who depends on Medicaid for the home care that allows him to stay in his own house instead of a nursing facility. These stories are not rare—they are the daily reality for millions, whether or not well-heeled nominees can imagine that reality or not!
Medicaid, a nearly 60-year-old partnership between the federal government and states, plays a vital role in communities by providing care that often isn’t available elsewhere. It covers essential services that private insurance frequently neglects, such as long-term care for older adults and specialized care for children with disabilities. Medicaid also ensures access to prenatal and postpartum care, giving new parents and their babies a healthier start in life. For many hardworking individuals, Medicaid is their only path to regular health care, as they work in jobs without employer-sponsored insurance and with pay below what can cover health care costs on top of housing and food for their families.
Medicaid isn’t just about health care—it’s about dignity, security, and the basic right to live without the constant fear of illness or unaffordable medical bills. It’s about children growing up healthy enough to chase their dreams and about adults being well enough to engage in their communities.
But threats to Medicaid loom large. Proposals to cut funding—whether through funding caps, block grants, or work requirements—would shatter the safety net that keeps families afloat. Such cuts would force states to make impossible choices—who gets care and who doesn’t? These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet or figures to be tossed about at a committee hearing; they are choices that could mean the difference between life and death for millions of our compatriots across the nation.
Medicaid is not charity, welfare, or whatever boogeyman the MAGA crowd and their wealthy allies present it as—it’s an investment in our collective future. When we care for our neighbors, we build stronger, healthier communities for everyone. Let’s stand up for Medicaid and the millions of lives it touches. This program is far too important to be put on the chopping block in exchange for tax cuts. It’s time to protect and strengthen it, not tear it apart. Medicaid is health care, after all.